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Pastor Anne Sims of Oriental United Methodist Church writes in with thanks.

I’m always happy to live in a community like ours, where so many people look after and care for one another. This week, during the storm and as we’re dealing with all this snow, a story has come to my attention that I’d like to share:

An elderly member of the community was trapped in their home by snow drifts when they lost power Sunday morning. Their family was unable to help due to illness and impassible roads, and so Oriental heroes Police Chief Bill Wichrowski and Mark Norman went out to their rescue. They were able to get the resident to a friends’ home to spend the rest of the week being pampered in safety.

I’m really thankful for Bill and Mark, for the friends who opened their home, for other community members who went back to the house to get some essentials later in the day, but also for our neighbors who are checking on each other, clearing porches and driveways, sharing stories and food.

This is the beautiful community spirit of Oriental so many fall in love with, and what makes our community such a wonderful place to be. We can always find things to divide us, but it’s when we come together that we really find out who our neighbors are.

Pastor Anne Sims
Oriental, NC
February 3, 2026